Does faith automatically continue?

Does faith automatically continue?


FAITH does not automatically continue

For example, in the book of Acts, "Paul" (Acts 14:19) was "strengthening the souls (of) the disciples, ENCOURAGING (them) TO-CONTINUE-IN the FAITH" (Acts 14:22). 

There would have been no need for Paul to ENCOURAGE the disciples TO CONTINUE in the FAITH if their FAITH would automatically continue anyway without that. 



FAITH does not automatically continue after someone had FAITH. 

Paul wrote "(to) Timothy, genuine child in (the) FAITH" (1 Timothy 1:2) to "BE-PURSUING righteousness, godliness, FAITH" (1 Timothy 6:11). 
Timothy was already "in (the) FAITH" (1 Timothy 1:2) and yet Paul commanded Timothy to "BE-PURSUING" (1 Timothy 6:11) "FAITH" (1 Timothy 6:11). 

The Greek word for "BE-PURSUING" (1 Timothy 6:11) is in the imperative mood, which expresses a command to the hearer to perform something by the order and authority of the one commanding. Paul did not use the indicative mood in the Greek, which would simply have been a statement of fact that would have described something merely happening. 

The Greek word for "BE-PURSUING" (1 Timothy 6:11) is used by Paul elsewhere to express something that is not yet attained and is ahead, as Paul wrote: "forgetting the (things) behind and stretching-toward the (things) ahead, "I-AM-PURSUING toward (the) goal" (Philippians 3:13-14).

Paul even wrote a second epistle "(to) Timothy" (2 Timothy 1:2) in which he again wrote to Timothy to "BE-PURSUING righteousness, FAITH" (2 Timothy 2:22). 



FAITH is not automatically produced as the fruit of the Spirit. 

The fruit of the Spirit would not automatically be produced.

For example, Paul wrote that "LOVE" (Galatians 5:22), "PEACE" (Galatians 5:22) and "FAITH" (Galatians 5:22) are part of "the fruit (of) the SPIRIT" (Galatians 5:22). Paul also commanded elsewhere to "BE-PURSUING righteousness, FAITHLOVEPEACE" (2 Timothy 2:22).

The Greek word for "BE-PURSUING" (2 Timothy 2:22) is in the imperative mood, which expresses a command to the hearer to perform something by the order and authority of the one commanding. Paul did not use the indicative mood in the Greek, which would simply have been a statement of fact that would have described something merely happening. 

For further information, click on the following article:

Galatians 5:22-23 - Fruit of the Holy Spirit?:
Click here



Further evidence that FAITH does not automatically continue

This conditional continuance of FAITH can explain why Paul used the conditional particle "IF" when he addressed for example "faithful brothers in Christ" (Colossians 1:2) by writing "IF indeed YOU-CONTINUE (in) the FAITH" (Colossians 1:22-23).


This conditional continuance of FAITH can explain why Paul warned "Timothy, genuine child in (the) FAITH" (1 Timothy 1:2) to be "having FAITH and (a) good conscience, which having-pushed-aside, some suffered-shipwreck with-respect-to the FAITH" (1 Timothy 1:19) and also that others "are-overturning the FAITH (of) some" (2 Timothy 2:18).


Paul instructed for example that "the FAITH (comes) from (a) report-hearing, and the report-hearing through (a) word (of) God" (Romans 10:17), and wrote that "(the) righteousness (of) God is-revealed in it from FAITH to FAITH, just-as it-has-been-written: “But the righteous (one) shall-live out-of FAITH" (Romans 1:17).


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